Material-moving devices, including carts, wagons, hand-trucks, and dollies have been used for years to transport loads which are often too heavy or cumbersome to carry by hand. The standard hand-truck has a L-shaped frame with wheels located at the vertex between a vertical handle and a flat horizontal platform. When in the vertical position, the user is often able to readily locate the platform under the item to be lifted. This platform, while providing relatively good leverage when tilting and lifting loads over the wheels, is not practical for transporting items longer than the length of the vertical handle. When high-profile items are loaded onto the platform, they are often placed directly in the way of the operator making the hand-truck difficult to maneuver safely. For example, in the nursery profession hand trucks are often used to transport potted plants; however, the operator often gets caught in the foliage of these larger plants. Moreover, tilting the load during transport can cause spillage or damage thereto.
Carts, wagons, and dollies usually consist of a level platform raised a predetermined distance off the ground depending on the design of the tires. This level surface is advantageous in that it is not tilted and thus, not prone to spillage. Moreover, these types of material-handling devices are not generally limited in the height of the item being moved. However, in order to load or unload heavier items more than one user must vertically lift the item onto the platform. Obviously heavy lifting of this sort can lead to bodily injuries (e.g., pulled back, muscle strain, etc.) In addition, the use of more than one person is an ineffective use of resources. Often these types of material-handling devices are rigidly fixed together for enhanced stability so that they afford little adjustability to accommodate various sized persons.
As a consequence of these aforementioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a material-handling device that provides a single operator the ability to lift an item onto the platform of the device safely. Moreover, the present invention maintains the neutral postures of the back, shoulders, and knees of the user, thereby significantly reducing injury potential. In addition, the material-moving device of the present invention is designed to provide adjustability to accommodate persons of different heights and preferences (e.g., left- or right-handed user).